We investigate the signaling pathways associated with cellular aging.
Our research centers around cellular aging in normal and disease states, with a particular focus on the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of premature aging diseases such as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS). As means, we combine molecular, cellular biology, genetics, and proteomics to identify signaling pathways associated to cellular aging to develop preventive strategies to delay and/or correct aging processes.

Selected publications:

Paradisi M, McClintock D, Boguslavsky RL, Pedicelli C, Worman HJ, Djabali K. (2005) Dermal fibroblasts in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome with the lamin A G608G mutation have dysmorphic nuclei and are hypersensitive to heat stres. BioMed Central Cell Biology 6: 27.

McClintock D, Gordon LD, Djabali K (2006) Hutchinson-Gilford progeria mutant lamin A primarily targets human vascular cells as detected by an anti-Lamin A G608G antibody. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 2154-2159.

Cao K, Capell B, Erdos MR, Djabali K, Collins FS (2007) A Lamin A protein isoform overexpressed in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome interferes with mitosis in progeria and normal cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104: 4949-4954.

McClintock D, Ratner D, Lokuge M, Owens DM, Gordon LB, Collins FS, Djabali K. (2007) The Mutant Form of Lamin A that Causes Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Is a Biomarker of Cellular Aging in Human Skin. PLoS ONE 2: e1269.

Marji. J., O'Donoghue SI, McClintock D, Satagopam VP, Schneider R, Ratner D, Worman HJ, Gordon LB, Djabali K. (2010) Defective lamin A-Rb signaling in Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome and reversal by farnesyltransferase inhibition. PLoS One 5: e11132.

Olive O, Harten I, Mitchell M, Beers J, Djabali K, Cao K, Erdos MR, Blair C, Funke B, Smoot L, Gerhard-Herman M, Machan JT, Kutys R, Virmani R, Collins FS, Wight TN, Nabel EG, Gordon LB. (2010) Cardiovascular Pathology in Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria: Correlation With the Vascular Pathology of Aging. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 30, 2031-2039.

Wenzel, V, Roedl D, Gabriel D, Gordon L.B, Herlyn M, Schneider R, Ring, Djabali K. (2012). Naïve adult stem cells from patients with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome express low levels of progerin in vivo. Biology Open, 1-11.